Posts Tagged ‘Mini Wontons’

Last night my gals and I celebrated Valentine’s Day Eve… also known as GALentine’s Day. With lots of food, friends and bubbly drinks we did what girls do best… gabbed about astrological signs, the impending retrograde and each couple’s romantic weekend plans.

To match the girly-themed evening, I wanted to make something cute, fresh and bite-size. After searching my favorite recipe blogs, I failed to find anything that wowed me. I was stuck on the idea of creating a mini taco, complete with queso fresco and the red onions I had pickled earlier this week. So I took a leap and ventured into “recipe development” land, a place I don’t often explore. But I’m happy to say that the result of this recipe test turned out delicious. The gals approved… so what else matters?

These tacos were a hit. They’re fast finger food but have complex flavors with the addition of pickled red onions. They can be prepared in advance, (just don’t fill your taco shells!) so they’re great for an after-work evening. I hope you share them with your favorite girl friends, too!

Mini Wonton Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:

1 ½ -1 ¾ lb. chicken breasts

Jar of salsa verde (I used Trader Joe’s brand)

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon red pepper flake

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ sweet onion, small diced

1 jalapeno, minced

1½ cup Mexican blend shredded cheese

Handful of cilantro, chopped,

¾ cup queso fresco

1 lime, juiced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional:

“Quickled” Red Onions—click here for the recipe

Directions:

To prepare chicken, place chicken breasts, salsa verde, cumin, red pepper flake, and chili powder into a slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-3 hours. Once chicken breasts are fully cooked, remove from the slow cooker and shred using two forks. Place shredded chicken back into salsa verde mixture and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes to one hour. This step can be prepared in advance.

Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Place one wonton shell into each basin of a muffin pan, forming small bowls. Bake for five minutes at 350 degrees, until just slightly golden. Meanwhile to make the filling, combine chicken, onion, jalapeno, Mexican blend shredded cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Once wonton shells are done, fill each shell with a spoonful of mixture. Place all wontons on a cookie sheet and return to oven. Bake for an additional five minutes, or until warmed through and wonton shells are golden and crispy.